Ore jig



F. A. BE AUCHAMP ORE'JIG Oct. 3, 1950 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed April 5,1947 ATTORNEY 1950 F. A. BEAUCHAMP ORE JIG Filed April 5, 1947 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fieaer/c A Seal/champ ATTORH EY Patented Oct. 3,1950 ORE J IG Frederic A. Beauchamp, Berkeley, Calif., assignor to.Hamilton, Beauchamp & Woodworth, San. I

Francisco, Calif., a copartnership Application April 5,1947, Serial No.739,527

This invention relates'generally to ore jigs and methods of the typeutilized for concentrating OI'ES;

In the gravity concentration of ores by jiggingdifficulty is frequentlyexperienced in maintain-= ing continuous uninterrupted discharge ofconcentrate from the draw-off cups employed. Under certainoperating-conditions and certain types of ores the draw-off cups aresubject to frequent choking with resulting interruption in the dischargeof concentrate. This is particularly true with certain types of-ores, asfor example where the concentrate is relatively coarse as to particlesize, or where 'the'ore contains closely classified products. The entirejigging operation is upset by choking of the draw-off cups, and

this difliculty may be accompanied by uneven banking of concentrate'in'theore bed. Such operating difliculties result in lowered'metallurgicalextractions, the overall capacity of v the equipment is seriouslyimpaired, and operatingcosts are materially increased.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an ore jig andmethod which will overcome the above difiiculties, and which has animproved draw -off cup capable of operation with remarkable freedom fromchoking.

A further object of the invention is to provide a jig of the abovecharacter which in general is capable of higher operating capacity andbetter separating efficiency, while at the same time being relativelyfree of choking or clogging.

Further objects of the invention will appear I from the followingdescription in which the preferred embodiments have been set forth indetail in conjunction with'the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating a series of jigs eachprovided with draw-off means. I

Figure 2 is aside elevational View in section illustrating a portion ofthe jig equipped with my improved draw-01f means.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail taken along the line 3-3of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional detail taken along the line I4 of Figure3.

Figure 5 is a view like Figure 3, but illustrating lClaim. (01.209 45?)Figure 1 of the drawing diagrammatically represents a plan view of ajigging installation, in which cells numbered Ito 4 inclusive operatesuccessively upon the material. Cell I is provided with a centraldraw-01f means 5, cells 2 and 3 with side draw-off means 6 and I, andcell 'l withside and enddraw-ofi means 8 and 9.- Feed-is suppliedcontinuously to cell I, and tailings withdrawn from cell 4. Figure 2shows one of the cells-or compartments provided with aside drawoif forconcentrate. In this instance the-compartment consists of conventionalupright side walls I I and I2, together with the conical shaped bottoml3.

I6. As is well known to those skilled in the art the compartment isprovided with suitable pulsating means, such as a plunger or'diaphragm,whereby the body of water occupying the compartment is caused to.pulsatein a vertical direc-- tim through the screen and the working bedmaintained above'the screen.

My improved discharge means consists of avertically extending cup IIwhich is adju-stably mounted upon the vertical side wall II. Asrepresentative of a-suitable attachment, the cup is shown provided withvertical edge flanges I 8' which are slidably engaged within the groovesI9. Following conventional practice, an adjustable weir is provided inthe side wall II for discharge'of concentrate from the cup. Thus a gate-2I has its edges slidably engaged within grooves 22 whereby it can beadjusted to a desired elevation. The gate is provided with ahorizontally extending slot 2 3 which registers with a larger opening 24in the sidewall II. The lower'horizontal edge 25 of opening 23-forms aWeir which can be adjusted as to height with respect to the cup I1 andwith respect to the workingbed upon the screen I 4.

In conventional jig constructions the cup I I an area of the jig bedcorresponding in contour to the cross-sectional contour of the cup. Inaccordance with the present invention the lower portion of the cupI'I isprovided with a hoodlike-conduit extension 26.- The upper'wall 2'! ofthis extension is sloped at a substantial angle with respect to thehorizontal in order to avoid any accumulation of solid material upon thesame, as for example an angle of about 30. It is desirable that thelower open face of the hood be substantially contiguous with the lowerend of the cup, or in other words in a common horizontal plane. Ingeneral the extension just described A screen I4 extends horizontallyacross the compartment and underlies thegrid 3 communicates with thelower portion of the cup 11 in a zone well below the normal level of theweir 25, whereby its effect is applied to the lower portion of thecolumn of material maintained in the cup.

The area of extent of conduit extension 26 as viewed in plan (Figure 3)should be substantial with respect to the plan contour area of the cupitself. Thus in that form of the invention illustrated in Figures 3 and4, the plan area of the extension 26 is somewhat greater than the plancontour area of the cup ll without the extension.

The jig as described above operates as follows: Normally the jig isoperated with a continuous feed to the same, and with continuousdischarge of tailings. Because of the jigging action a layer of heavierseparated concentrate material accumulates upon the screen l4, andspreads over this screen in a manner well known to those familiar withsuch operations. 'Assurning the use of a conventional discharge cup suchas has been used in the past, the lower'end of the cup is located belowthe upper level of the layer of concentrates on the screen, and theconcentrates continually progress into the lower portion of the cup, andfrom thence they pass upwardly over the weir 25. With the presentinvention the cup is similarly located with respect to the layer ofconcentrates on the screen. However, as the jigging action proceeds thevolume of water entrapped in the enlarged lower portion of the cupassembly 26 is forced up into the smaller crosssectional area of theupper part of the cup ll, greatly accelerating and lengthening thevertical pulsion movement in the upper portion of the cup as comparedwith the vertical pulsion movement outside the cup or with thatobtainable within a conventional cup. The augmented vertical pulsiondisplacement within the confines of the cup acts in a positive manner tomaintain the impounded minerals loosened and free to be discharged ateach upward pulsation of the water. It has been found that such motioninsures against clogging of the cup, whereby it is possible to maintainuniform discharge of the concentrates over long periods of continuousoperation;

The beneficial effects of the present invention are particularlynoticeable in the handling of feeds which tend to cause clogging ofconventional jigs. Thus my jig will successfully handle ore solids ofsuch a character that concentrate particles separated out upon thescreen are coarser than 4; inch in diameter. It is well known that suchcoarse concentrates tend to cause clogging of ordinary jigs. Also myinvention can be used successfully where the minerals being separatedare close to each other in relative specific gravity, as for exampleminerals having a difference of 0.5 or less on the specific gravityscale.

In addition to eliminating clogging under difficult operatingconditions, my invention is also desirable in that it makes possibleefiicientcontinuous draw-off of concentrates without in any wayinterfering with capacity or the desired emciency of separation. In thisconnection it has been lll 4 noted that the greater area of the jiggingscreen covered by the draw-off means does not interfere with the desiredseparating action. In fact with my invention it appears feasible toprovide for higher overall operating capacities, without sacrificingeificiency of separation.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate another embodiment of the invention. In thisinstance the draw-off cup 31 is provided with two conduit extensions 32.These extensions communicate with the sides of the cup, and are likewiseprovided with sloped upper walls 33. The operation of these extensionsis substantially the same as for the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3and 4. Such a drawoff means has been indicated at 9 in Figure 1.

Figure 7 illustrates how my inventioncan be modified for a centraldraw-off, corresponding for example to the central draw-off means 5 ofFigure l. The draw-cit cup 36 in this instance is cylindrical shaped,and is adjustably carried by the supporting members 31. A verticaldrawoif pipe 38 is axially aligned with cup 36 and is adjustablyretained with respect to the stationary pipe 39. The lower portion ofthe cup 36 is provided with conduit extensions 4|, which have theirlower edges contiguous with the lower end of the cup 35. Theseextensions operate in the same fashion as the conduit extensions 26 ofFigures 3 and 4.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the contouring anddimensioning of the extensions may vary in different instances. Forexample the arrangement of Figures 3 and 4 (6, 7 and 8 of Figure 1)maybe modified by providing a-longer extension 26 which extends fartheracross the screen and which may be tapered toward its extremity. Alsowith the draw-oil means of Figure '7 the extensions 4| may be in theform of acontinuous circular flare.

I claim:

In an ore jig of the type provided with a screen upon which a layer ofconcentrate accumulates, an upright draw-oil" cup having its lower openend disposed adjacent the screen and adapted to receive concentrate,means for discharging material from the cup at a level above the lowerend of the same, and a downwardly sloped hood-like extensioncommunicating with the lower portion of the cup and overlying a portionof the jigging screen beyond the plan contour of the cup, said extensionbeing generally below the separating zone overlying the screen and thelower edge of the same being disposed within the layer of concentratesaccumulatin on the screen, said extension presenting an upper downwardlysloped surface to the overlying separating zone and providing means foraugmenting motion of material in the cup without substantiallyrestricting the area of the separating zone.

FREDERIC A. BEAUCHAMP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

